


Family Dinner

by TwirlsWrites



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, spoilers for 7x17 'flash back'
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-04-04
Packaged: 2018-05-31 04:05:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6454954
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwirlsWrites/pseuds/TwirlsWrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry's a bit concerned about his place in Cisco's life with the sudden appearance of Hartley.<br/>He's not super great at expressing this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family Dinner

    “Hey, are you alright? You’ve been acting really off lately.” Iris asked. She sat down on the couch next to Barry, nudging him a little. Joe had invited the STAR Labs team over for dinner and the sounds of Cisco instructing everyone made up the background noise in the house.  
  
    “Oh I’m fine,” Barry said with a smile. “Just a little tired. Where’s Wally?”  
  
    “He’s always running late, just like someone else I know.” Iris replied. Barry rolled his eyes and Iris nudged him with her shoulder. “Seriously though, I can tell when something is bothering you.”  
  
    “Iris,” Barry said with a sigh.  
  
    “Barry,” she mocked back.  
  
    “Fine,” Barry said. “It’s  Cisco.”  
  
    “Cisco?” Iris repeated. “I don’t think he’s actually going to kill dad for having canned tomatoes,” She offered. Barry laughed.  
  
    “No, that’s not it. Lately…” Barry trailed off, taking another draw on his beer. Iris waited and he let out a short breath. “Okay, how about this — when was the first time you saw Wrath of Khan?”  
  
    “Uh,” Iris said, confused. “I’ve been friends with your nerdy ass forever, so… I think I was seven?”  
  
    “Cisco’s very tactile,” Barry said suddenly, setting down his beer. “He likes, like, hugs and patting people on the back, and high-fives, and touching people’s arms…”  
  
    “Barry, I’m a professional journalist I know what tactile means,” Iris said shortly, cutting him off. “If that’s what’s bugging you, you could just talk to him about it. I’m sure he’d give you space if you were uncomfortable.”  
  
    “No, that’s not it,” Barry said. He tapped a nervous pattern on his knees. “Okay, so, Cisco likes movies a lot. And the other night, the drive-in was doing an old Star Trek movie marathon we were going to go to. but I got called in on that case with the guy and the bears… anyway, I told Cisco and Caitlin to go on without me,” Barry said.  
  
    “Okay…” Iris said after Barry was quiet for a few seconds “… and they did?”  
  
    “Yeah, Barry said. “Which is good! Yeah, no, I’m glad they got to go. But when they were there, they ran into Hartley.”  
  
    “Oh! I haven’t seen Hartley in awhile, how’s he doing?” Iris asked.  
  
    “He’s fine,” Barry said, aware that his tone was a little off but unable to stop it. “But he stopped by the lab the next day to help out with… something, I don’t even know what. Anyway, he and Cisco - and Caitlin, Caitlin too - were talking about the movie and he and Cisco kept exchanging quotes and —“  
  
    “Oh! Did they do the Wrath of Khan quote?” Iris asked. Eddie always said that the best way to get a kiss from a nerd was to quote that one line.”  
  
    “See, I didn’t know that!” Barry exclaimed, flushing.  
  
    “Didn’t know what?” Iris clarified.  
  
    “That… that the quote was universal nerd code for ‘Hey, I like you and you should kiss me!’” Barry replied.  
  
    “How could you not know that?” Iris asked. “Even I know that!”  
  
    “I just didn’t!” Barry squeaked. “It’d never occurred to me, but then they were talking about it and Caitlin quoted the line at friggin’ Hartley, and he was all like ‘that’s sweet Cait, but I’m not into girls,” and they all laughed? But I didn’t get it so when I got back to work I Googled it and it’s like a big deal!” His hands were flailing, he couldn’t help it, but at least he could keep his voice down to a tense whisper.  
  
    “Barry, I feel like I’m missing a step here,” Iris said slowly.  “Breathe.”  
  
    “Okay, Cisco and I have movie marathons all the time, and when we used to watch Wrath of Khan he would turn to me at the end and quote it,” Barry said. Iris’ eyebrows shot up, “An I didn’t think anything of it, because what did I know? But now I realize that may…”  
  
    “Mean he’s into you,” Iris finished. “And you’re afraid to talk to him about it?”  
  
    “Well, the last few times we’ve watched it,” Barry said, “He… well, he hasn’t quoted it.”  
  
    “Okay,” Iris said, head nodding as she worked her way through the tangent-laced story. “… and you - oh, you’re into him now but since he hasn’t space-proposed to you, that may be a sign that he’s not into you now?” Iris said. “Barry this is ridiculous, go talk to him.”  
  
    “Okay, but see… uh, recently I may have inadvertently changed some things related to Hartley and since then, I’m not really… “  
  
    “You messed again with time travel again?” Iris demanded.       
  
    “Jeeze, you really do know me too well, and Shh!” Barry said, glancing around. He dropped his voice, “But yeah just a little bit. And, ah, I don’t really… know Hartley?”  
  
    “What do you mean?” Iris asked.  
  
    “I mean that before I… uh, made some tough decisions regardubg Zoom preparation,” Barry said. “Hartley was not even a tiny bit associated with Team Flash. So I don’t know the man at all! I don’t know how long he’s been around, or if he goes on missions sometimes, who or what he does or doesn’t know, and how close he and Cisco may or may not be.”  
  
    “Oh!” Iris said. “Why not ask?”  
  
    “Because then I’ll have to explain who Hartley was before I meddled and I don’t know Hartley but I’m pretty sure he’s good now.”  
  
    “He wasn’t before?” Iris asked, eyes wide.  
  
    “See!” Barry whispered.  
  
    “What are you guys talking about?” Caitlin asked. Barry jumped.  
  
    “Nothing!” he said with a wide smile. “Why? What’s happening? What are you… talking about?”  
  
    “I was going to let you know that the food’s almost ready,” Caitlin said. “Also I think Harry and Joe have officially bonded, and I kind of invited Hartley do you think that’s okay?”  
  
    “Of course,” Iris said. “The more the merrier. I was just telling Barry that it’s been awhile since I’ve seen Hartley.”  
  
    “Great,” Caitlin said. “He was being really passive aggressive about missing out on Cisco’s cooking. You know how he can get,” she added to Barry. Barry nodded with a grin.  
  
    “Oh yeah,” he replied. When Caitlin turned away he mouthed ‘help me’ at Iris.  
      
—x—x—  
  
    “Hey Cisco, I keep forgetting to ask - are you seeing anyone?” Iris asked, casual as ever. Beside her, Barry barely managed to avoid choking on air. “Because there’s this editorial intern I work with who would be so cute with you.”  
  
    “Me? Nah,” Cisco replied. “I’m kind of interested in someone right now anyway, I wouldn’t be the best date material.” It was not Barry’s imagination that Cisco was very pointedly not looking at Hartley, was it? And Hartley was smirking at Cisco knowingly; Barry would definitely say that that was a knowing smirk.  
  
    “Excuse me for a second,” Barry said, shuffling to the kitchen as casually as possible so he could freak out in peace. “Just… going to grab another drink.”  
  
    “Hey, could you grab me some more iced tea?” Hartley asked.  
  
    “You got it, man!” Barry said. Either they weren’t in a ‘man’ pointing their friendship, or his voice was a little too loud because that got him some weird looks and Barry retreated to the kitchen before he could make it worse.  
  
    “What about you Hartley?” Iris asked.  
  
    “Oh no, there was this guy I met at Jitters last month, but —“  
  
    And then the kitchen door swung shut behind him and Barry took in a deep breath of the blessed, blessed, more-or-less quiet.  
  
    For about two seconds.  
  
    “Hey dude, you okay?” Cisco asked from behind him. Barry jumped.  
  
    “What? Yeah, man, I’m fine. Just a little tired. Why?”  
  
    “You forgot your glass,” Cisco said, eyebrows raised. “And Hartley’s.”  
  
    “Actually, Cisco, I wanted to ask you something about Hartley…” Barry started awkwardly, taking the glasses and setting them on the counter.  
  
    “Yes,” Cisco said. Barry froze. “Yeah, I vibed on the old past a few days after you got back.”  
  
    “Oh,” Barry said. “So you know that he — “  
  
    “Tried to kill you, and got really close to doing it?” Cisco clarified. “Yeah.” He sighed and crossed his arms.      
  
    “Uh. Want to talk about it?” Barry asked. Cisco glanced up and let out a surprised laugh.  
  
    “Isn’t that my line dude? You’re the one who almost died.”  
  
    “Well yeah but… I mean, that kind of happens to me a lot,” Barry pointed out. Cisco did not seem amused. “And anyway, you have like months worth of non-bad memories involving the dude - gotta be different for you to suddenly vibe on the explosion and stuff.”  
  
    “Understatement,” Cisco said with a tilt of his head. “But also an overstatement — he’s a friend now, but at his core he’s still a smug asshole.”  
  
    “Yeah?” Barry asked. Cisco grinned.  
  
    “Yeah. He’s not my best friend or anything — only one lanky nerd has that honor.”  
  
    “You’re my best friend too, Cisco,” Barry said - touched and more than a bit relieved.  
  
    “Psh — ego much? I was talking about my old bud Ralph Dibney, but he did move after the whole particle accelerator thing so….” Cisco trailed off with a smirk.  
  
    “Rude,” Barry told him. Cisco laughed.  
  
    “Come on Boo, you know you’re the Kirk to my Bones,” Cisco said. Barry tried not to over thing that - not Spock?  
  
    “I thought Caitlin was Bones?” he pointed out.  
  
    “Fine, you’re the Kirk to my Scotty,” Cisco corrected with a fond smile. Barry took a fortifying breath, crossing his arms.  
  
    “Am I really Kirk though?” he said. “I always liked Uhura, maybe I could be Uhura.”  
  
    “Dude you have — Cisco started with a laugh before cutting off. He gave Barry a considering look, biting his lip. “Uhura huh?”  
  
    “Sure,” Barry said with a nervous shrug. “I don’t know that I could handle being Kirk without you on the comm as my Spock.”  
  
    It was quiet for a few beats - Cisco watching Barry and Barry trying his best to breathe like a normal human being.  
  
    “Barry,” Cisco said. “Are you… hitting on me?”  
  
    “Yes,” Barry said quietly.  
  
    “Oh thank God,” Cisco said, suddenly and loudly. “I’m going to kiss you now,” he told Barry. Then he grabbed his collar and pulled him down into a searing kiss, backing him into the island. Barry grinned into the kiss and shifted, turning them around and lifting Cisco onto the bar.  
  
    “Show off,” Cisco breathed in between kisses.  
  
    “— oh!” Caitlin exclaimed suddenly. They broke apart, Barry twisting around. Caitlin had just walked into the kitchen and now everyone at the table was peering into the doorway behind her.  
      
    “You animals!” Joe called, “I cook on that island!”  
  
    “I guess I’ll stick with water!” Hartley added with a wide smirk. Barry turned back around, burying his face in Cisco’s shoulder.  
  
    “Hey Caitlin - think you could close the door?” Cisco asked, voice casual. Was that the sound of a camera phone Barry heard?  
  
    “Right, sure,” Caitlin said, and there was the sound of her shuffling out of the kitchen with the door swinging behind her.  
  
    “We should probably go back out,” Cisco said after a beat. Barry leaned back to look at him again.  
  
    “They can wait,” he said with a grin. Cisco laughed and leaned in for another kiss.


End file.
